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Google Android OS to Surpass Microsoft Windows by 2016, Says Gartner

Based on data gathered by market research firm Gartner, International multimedia news agency Reuters reports that Google's (News - Alert) Android operating system (OS) will be used on more computing devices than Microsoft's Windows OS within the next four years.

The market watcher outlines a number of factors contributing to this massive shift in the technology sector.

Aside from Android’s (News - Alert) gain in the smartphones sector, proliferation of the free software has given Google an edge on the search market, its key profit generator, according to a recent statement.

As reported, Gartner’s (News - Alert) study shows that by the end of 2016, there will be 2.3 billion computers, tablets and smartphones using Android software, compared to 2.28 billion Windows devices. In relation, about 1.5 billion devices are expected to use Microsoft (News - Alert) Windows by the end of this year, against 608 million using Android.

The report indicates that Android, which entered the market only in 2008, has risen fast to be the dominant smartphone platform – thus controlling two-thirds of that market. The market data collected shows that Android has taken the number-two spot in the fast-growing tablet computer market.

As more consumers flock to powerful tablets and smartphones for basic computing, worldwide shipments of personal computers are falling. The study shows that it fell by over 8 percent in the third quarter, the steepest decline since 2001.

Microsoft Windows that dominated the PC industry for decades is now struggling to keep up with the migration to wireless and smartphones. According to Gartner, Windows market share in smartphones is around 3 percent.

Android is also challenging Apple’s (News - Alert) iOS. Hence, the study comes soon after Apple launches the first iPad Mini using iOS.

The latest iPad from Apple features a 7.9-inch display and is roughly two-thirds smaller than the original iPad.